Do JPEG Images Degrade When You View Them?

The Short Answer: No, Viewing JPEG Files Does NOT Degrade Them

We've heard from customers who worry that their scanned images will "fade away" or degrade just from looking at them. This is absolutely not true. Simply viewing, copying, or storing a JPEG file does not degrade it in any way.

Your JPEG files are completely safe to:

• View as many times as you want
• Copy to different drives or devices
• Store on your computer, external drives, or cloud storage
• Email or share with family and friends
• Display in slideshows or photo viewers

None of these activities will degrade your image quality in any way. The file remains identical to the day it was created.

When JPEG Degradation Actually Occurs

JPEG degradation only happens when you repeatedly edit and resave the same file. Here's what actually causes quality loss:

The Edit-and-Save Cycle: Each time you open a JPEG file in an editing program, make changes, and save it as a JPEG again, the file undergoes compression. This compression is "lossy," meaning it discards some data to reduce file size. Repeating this process many times can eventually degrade image quality.

How Many Times Before It's Noticeable? It would take many, many cycles of opening, editing, and resaving a JPEG before even an expert could see a difference. We're talking dozens of edit-save cycles, not just a handful.

What Doesn't Cause Degradation:

• Opening and viewing the file
• Copying or moving the file
• Renaming the file
• Organizing files into folders
• Backing up to external drives
• Uploading to cloud storage
• Opening in a photo viewer (without saving)

How to Avoid JPEG Degradation When Editing

If you do need to edit your scanned images, follow these best practices to preserve quality:

1. Work from Copies: Always edit a copy of your original scan. Keep your original JPEG files pristine and untouched in a backup location.

2. Use Lossless Formats for Editing: If you're doing extensive editing, save your work-in-progress files as PNG or TIFF (both lossless formats). Only save as JPEG when you're completely done editing.

3. Use High Quality Settings: If you must save as JPEG during editing, use the highest quality setting (usually 90-100% or "maximum quality" in editing software). This minimizes compression artifacts.

4. Minimize Edit-Save Cycles: Do all your editing in one session if possible, then save once as your final JPEG. Don't open, make a small change, save, then repeat multiple times.

5. Keep Master Files: Maintain your original high-quality scans as "master" files that never get edited. Make all edits to copies.

Why We Scan to High-Quality JPEG

We scan your slides to high-quality JPEG format because:

Universal Compatibility: JPEG is the most widely supported image format. Every device, program, and website can open JPEG files without special software.

Practical File Sizes: JPEG compression creates manageable file sizes without visible quality loss. A collection of thousands of slides remains practical to store and work with.

Professional Quality: At high quality settings, JPEG files are visually indistinguishable from uncompressed formats like TIFF, but much more practical to use.

Already Edited: Since we professionally edit every scan in Photoshop before delivery, you're receiving final, finished images. Most customers never need to edit them further.

Long-Term Stability: Your JPEG scans will look identical in 10, 20, or 50 years as long as you don't repeatedly edit and resave them. Simply storing and viewing them preserves them perfectly.

The Bottom Line

Don't worry about your JPEG scans degrading from normal use. View them, share them, copy them, back them up—none of this hurts image quality. Your scans are safe.

JPEG degradation is only a concern if you're repeatedly editing and resaving the same file many times. And even then, it takes numerous cycles before quality loss becomes noticeable.

For most people using their scanned slides to view memories, create photo books, or share with family, JPEG format provides perfect quality that will last for generations.